anytype-cli

A command-line interface built around the Anytype local API.

The executable for this CLI is anyt (not anytype) to avoid clashing with the official anytype-cli.

Note: This tool is built around the author's own types and workflows and may not cover all Anytype features or use cases.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 24+
• Anytype Desktop or the Anytype headless server running (default API at http://127.0.0.1:31009)
• An API key from Anytype Desktop settings

Installation

npm install -g @kelvinlouis/anytype-cli

Getting Started

# Connect to default localhost:31009
anyt init --api-key <your_key>

# Connect to a custom server (e.g. headless Anytype on another host)
anyt init --api-key <your_key> --url http://192.168.1.100:31009

This saves your API key (and optionally the server URL) and sets a default space.

Commands

| Command | Description | | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | init | Configure API key, server URL, and default space | | types | List or inspect object types | | list | List objects by type (with filtering, sorting, etc.) | | get | Fetch a single object with full details | | create | Create a new object (with stdin/template support) | | update | Modify an existing object | | search | Full-text search across objects | | alias | Manage short names for type keys | | fields | Manage default columns for list output | | templates | List and inspect templates |

Examples

# List all objects of a type
anyt list note

# Filter and sort
anyt list task --where "status=In Progress" --sort "created_date:desc"

# Get a specific object
anyt get <object-id>

# Create an object with body from stdin
echo "Hello world" | anyt create note --name "My Note"

# Create from a template
anyt create note --template <template-id>

# Search across all objects
anyt search "meeting notes"

# Set up a type alias
anyt alias set note ot-note

# Configure default fields for a type
anyt fields set note name,created_date,status

Global Options

| Option | Description | | --------------- | ------------------------------ | | --verbose | Show detailed output | | --no-color | Disable colored output | | --space <id> | Override the default space | | --dry-run | Preview changes without saving | | -v, --version | Output version number |

Key Features

• Filtering: --where, --since, --linked-to, --orphan
• Sorting: --sort field:asc|desc with typed comparisons
• Field selection: --fields with computed fields (link_count, backlink_count)
• Stdin piping: Pipe body content via stdin or --body -
• Type aliases: Short names for frequently used type keys
• Per-type default columns: Configure with anyt fields set
• Template support: Create objects from templates

Configuration

Config is stored at ~/.anytype-cli/config.json and includes:

• apiKey — your Anytype API key
• defaultSpace — the space to use when --space is not provided
• aliases — short names mapped to type keys
• typeFields — per-type default column configurations
• baseURL — API base URL (defaults to http://127.0.0.1:31009)

Contributing

git clone https://github.com/kelvinlouis/anytype-cli.git
cd anytype-cli
npm install
npm run build
npm link        # makes `anyt` available globally
npm test        # run tests

Agents

See AGENTS.md for AI coding agent instructions (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, etc.).

License

MIT